


Amorous in Your Absence

by gabewrites



Category: TWRP | Tupper Ware Remix Party (Band)
Genre: M/M, Magical Realism, Outer Space, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27590051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gabewrites/pseuds/gabewrites
Summary: Sung was an enthusiastic star gazer, anyone could tell you that. There was something up, however, when he started practically camping out in the backyard instead of sleeping in his own bed. While his bandmates initially doubt him, Sung encounters a stronger space alien than himself. He attempts to connect with this mysterious being nightly under the stars, hoping to find out more about where they came from.
Relationships: Doctor Sung & Original Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7
Collections: TWRP Big Bang 2020





	Amorous in Your Absence

**Author's Note:**

> This is my fic for the 2020 TWRP BB!!! I'm so excited to kick off posting today, and I'd like to give a big thank you to my fellow mods (Tally and Seb!) As well as my artist (Sam!) and my mixer (Ren!).

If you needed an informational encyclopedia on stars, galaxies, and planets, Sung was your go-to guy. He had spent so long staring into space that he had memorized the placement of each dust particle suspended above Earth’s atmosphere. After a particularly stressful night- maybe an off day or a less-than-satisfactory performance- Sung could be found gazing at the stars as if they held a secret that he was desperately searching for. He insisted it was just stress relief, and maybe that was it. He was just grounding himself. Using each star he could see as an anchor to hold onto. A reminder that he was real. 

Some days, when all else failed, the stars could pull him up from his feet and shake the dust out of his bones. No one questioned the late nights that the door creaked open and Sung slipped out into the pitch black night to sit in the grass. It wasn’t uncommon for Sung to fall asleep behind their house because he needed the comfort of the stars to doze off under. Each time he fell asleep with the stars watching, his dreams were filled with purple and blue magic. His heart pulsed with the energy of moonlight mingling with machinery. 

It wasn’t any different that night. His purpose, at least. He woke up around 2am, dreaming of stardust and comets. His soul longed for the universe in a way he couldn’t explain to other aliens, let alone human beings. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, took a sip of water from the glass on his bedside table, and let his feet drag him out the back door and into the yard with nothing but his own head and the grass under it. He stared into the sky with a level of adoration meant for lovers and let it blanket him. The grass tickled his neck and the moonlight washed over his form as sleep almost took over. Almost.

He was half gone when he heard a rustle of wind through the trees and opened his eyes to find the stars looking impossibly brighter. A whirlwind of light was traveling through the darkness and whisking cool air around the earth. Sung felt no discomfort. He felt no fear, confusion, or general weirdness. He watched the universe create beauty and fell asleep the same way he always did. At peace beneath the stars. 

\----

As was expected when sleeping outside, the sun rising was a natural alarm clock that eased Sung into consciousness. He wasn’t the earliest bird when sleeping inside, but he found that the warm sun pushing a gradual glow into your skin made you a little happier to be awake. A little happier to be alive. The first blissful moments of being awake were followed by a wide yawn and a stretch across the grass before he rolled onto his side. He felt a little more vulnerable with the light shining into the yard. At least when it was dark, it felt like just him and the sky, but sunlight meant anyone could butt in on their conversation. 

Almost every time he woke up this way he turned onto his side to avoid the sun in his eyes and stared at the stray flowers springing up in their yard. He didn’t see any flowers. He saw the form of another body lying next to him and shot up into a sitting position with his heart racing. “Hello?” Was his first thought, even if it wasn’t practical, but he didn’t dare touch the unknown person lying in the grass. He scooted backwards a little as if poking the figure with an imaginary stick. 

His soft spoken greeting was enough to stir life into the creature, and they rubbed their own head gently while wincing. In a fit of confusion, they sat up and turned to the voice that had awoken them. Sung’s mouth hung agape as he stared into the eyes of what had to be an otherworldly being. Galaxies all of their own swirled within their eyes, and for a split second, brilliant wings made of the dark skies that Sung longed for flashed into and out of existence as the being cowered away in shame and possible fear. “I’m not supposed to be here…” 

Sung reached out, almost as if he was about to put a reassuring hand on their shoulder, but he withdrew. “Hey, it’s all good! I’m not here to hurt you- where are you supposed to be?” Sung couldn’t help but stare into those eyes more, taking in the cool aura that hung around them. This poor alien was probably stranded far away from home, or crash landed without even knowing. “I have a ship- I can help you get back to where you came from if you need me to.” 

The alien in front of him looked a little less guarded, and Sung offered a smile. He also just thought this dude was cool and wanted to hear them talk again. They sounded like the way a dark hallway echoes into your brain and reverberates, even when speaking timidly as before. “I don’t need- I appreciate the offer.” The disgruntled alien ruffled their own hair and pulled themself up to their feet. And then off of their feet. Cool. They could fly too. Maybe those were wings earlier. 

“Hey- not to be invasive, but who...are you?” Sung spoke a little soft, but his curiosity got the better of him. “I mean you did crashland in my backyard, I want to have a name to call you at least…?”

\-----

“Astrophel! Dude, their name was astrophel!” Meouch stared at Sung with absolutely no reaction as he bit into a piece of toast at their kitchen table. “They had these space eyes and fuckin’ galaxy looking wings, and they could fucking hover! Have you ever seen someone hover?” Sung was breathing fast, having run inside after his brief encounter with Astrophel, as he was told. For all Meouch knew he was hallucinating after sleeping outside every other night.

“They just like? Fly through space, I think? I didn’t get many details but they looked so fucking cool, man, I wish they would have stayed longer.” Sung was quite literally star struck as he went on about his mysterious alien encounter in the backyard, and he crossed his arms when Meouch showed absolutely no response yet again. He waved his hand in front of his friend’s face and sighed when he realized he wasn’t getting anywhere. Meouch only let out a quiet chuckle. “You’re laughing now, but when I befriend the like- ruler of space, you’re gonna be so jealous.” 

Meouch took a sip of orange juice and looked Sung dead in the eye. “Are you like, absolutely sure you’re not on any drugs?” 

\-----

If you asked the rest of TWRP, Sung was developing an addiction. The only thing that stopped him from sleeping outside in their backyard was a thunderstorm, and even then he had been reluctant. His dreams echoed the past, revolving around the encounter with Astrophel and other various space imagery. He seemed sure that with enough persistence he could get to know the being that had briefly crashed down to earth with him, even if he had no idea what caused the surprise visit in the first place. 

It had been a week and a half, give or take, and Sung had designated a pillow for sleeping outside under the stars. The warmth of summer air was usually enough to blanket his body, but he had a small throw available in case a breezy night came along. Phobos even asked if they should just invest in a tent for more comfortable sleeping arrangements, but Sung insisted that it would compromise the beauty of space. Havve then promptly quizzed Sung for homesickness and came up empty. Meouch had settled on the fact that Sung was just finally cracking under the pressure of having nothing left to do in the apartment.

Sung realized no one was going to believe him and he was better off enjoying the experience on his own. He daydreamt about night skies, starlight, and the ground beneath him.

\------

An especially beautiful sky greeted Sung a few weeks after his first meeting with Astrophel. He had started giving up on the idea that he would be visited again, knowing that Astrophel had landed on Earth by accident. Logically, he knew that it was a freak accident. His intuition, on the other hand, told him that something would happen if he kept lying under the stars and letting the darkness of space wash over his form. Regardless, it felt good. It was a kind of cleansing, almost meditative activity for him at that point. 

Phobos was outwardly the most supportive, occasionally sitting next to Sung before he turned in for the night, but Sung really didn’t pay attention to any criticism at that point. He appreciated the occasional company and tried to enjoy the alone time that he got. Sitting outside in the grass was a much different energy than band practice, touring, or even just sitting inside with everyone's chaos present at the same time. It may have been the only time Sung felt himself feeling fine with being alone. 

He had always been extroverted by nature, and needless to say he fed off of other people’s emotions, being an empath. The sky and the stars, however, held a mood of their own that seemed to transfer. He liked to think that somehow, some way, that was Astrophel’s emotions, however they manifested. 

Regardless of the unknown truth, the moon called out to him yet again. 

Call it intuition, luck, or a stomach ache, but Sung was sitting in the grass on a very specific feeling night without a pillow or any covers; Just the starry sky above him to blanket his form and  the breeze to lull him to sleep. He was about to doze off when a harsh wind rustled through his hair and disrupted the white noise that had been pleasantly playing in his head. He was prepared to feel irritation, but a wave of calm, cool moonlight shone across the grass. For a moment he thought he was seeing things, maybe being just a little too hopeful. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before being re-invited into a space not meant for his eyes to see.

The force seemed a lot more chaotic that time, as if something was fighting with the energy attempting to fill the space around him, but eventually a swarm of light and celestial being was standing in Sung's yard once more. Astrophel brushed the stardust from their pants and looked almost flushed in a way; As if the stars were clustering near their cheekbones. Nothing could have prepared Sung, despite his endless wishful thinking over the past month or so. He instead stared for a moment, wondered if he was being rude, and then tried to reach out for Astrophel's hand.

They pulled their hand away, not out of disgust, but out of caution. Another gentle breeze broke the air around them, and Sung relished in its cooling properties. Sung wondered if Astrophel was aware of the amount of power they held. "Sorry." They deadpanned and stepped back maybe an inch. Sung watched the patterns of shining stars swirl around the apples of Astrophel's cheeks, and noticed some converging around their hands, too.

"No, my bad!" Sung shook his head and reminded himself that maybe celestial cool-ass looking space creations didn't like to be touched by unknown people. "I wasn't expecting you, but now that you're here-" Astrophel looked down at their own feet, a sense of loss and inability seeping into their star-spotted, dark skin. They tried to dim the light in their eyes when they looked up at Sung, but the bright beams of light seemed rather unrelenting. Sung's gaze didn't stray for one moment. His eye bore into the shining majesty of Astrophel's.

It is possible that something should have told Sung not to stare into the giant blinding light being produced by a stranger, but Astrophel somehow wasn't a stranger. He knew their name, he knew they weren't supposed to be here, and he knew something was making them come back. That was enough, he supposed. He noticed Astrophel attempting to back away and make another escape. The little star spinner didn't get very far before settling for a gentle hover above the grass they'd just trampled on.

"I really- you know I really shouldn't be here," Astrophel averted their eyes for a moment, but soon bright light was back to illuminating Sung's features like a pair of high beams. "Are you looking for something?" The question was so vague that Sung wasn't sure what to answer or what he was meant to answer, but it made him think.

He had wanted Astrophel to come back to visit again, there was no doubt about that. He had thought about them, dreamt about them, and maybe even tried looking for more information on space entities, but he had never thought about what he wanted from the being that paid him a visit. Company, maybe. More stars, perhaps. Somehow, the blueish, whitish hue that singed the air around Astrophel's head looked as if it would be warm to the touch. Splashed with a red or a purple. "I'm not sure." And Sung meant it.

He spoke the words so softly that Astrophel wasn't sure if they were intended to be heard, and the wind rushed a bit more urgently between the two of them. 

"I want to know you." Sung spoke without hesitation that time, even if it was still a little soft-spoken. It took him a moment to build up some confidence. "You crashed down here all mysterious and looking like a literal chunk of space fell out of the sky! And I keep wondering who you are, where you came from, what  _ you _ want." Sung had this little inkling of hope in his chest, even as he immediately forgot the words he let out of his mouth. He hoped that the feeling of hope was a transferable one.

Astrophel blinked, and for a moment Sung thought he had fucked up. "I'd-" They nodded and moved to sit down in front of Sung in the grass. Sit was a loose term however, as they hovered a few inches above the ground and felt their hair stuck suspended in mid-air. They each shifted in the grass and felt it touch their palms, grounded as much as they could possibly be. "I'd like to know you too, Sung. I think that's why I crash landed the first time." They hoped that Sung didn't read into them knowing his name.

Astrophel immediately looked as if they hadn’t meant to let that out, but Sung smiled in return. “Don’t tell me my stargazing screwed up your sky ruling shit- I mean I know I’m something nice to look at but-” 

"You watch the stars like they're your family, and I've never seen anyone do that." Astrophel was 'laying' in the grass next to Sung, pointing at stars in the sky as if kissing them all goodnight and tucking them into the darkness. "Anyone else, I guess." Sung marveled at the fact that Astrophel, though something literally otherworldly, seemed to carry conversation casually.

The sudden openness of Astrophel’s admission flung a sheet of silence over the two of them, not uncomfortable, but obviously present. 

Maybe Sung was looking for a family in the stars. Maybe Sung hoped that his family was floating among the stars. Or maybe the northern lights were a call for help from a great ancestor, but Sung knew the stars needed him in some way or another. He had never been able to describe that in as few words as Astrophel had managed to. "Yes." Sung traced his own fingernail repeatedly and without a specific goal in mind. He tried to formulate a string of words that would tell them that the stars felt more like home than his apartment and that the sky seemed lonely some days and he just wanted to help. "They are, I guess. I don't guess, I know. I think. Maybe you know."

Sung turned his neck so that he could face Astrophel, a tingle pulsing through each strand of his own hair. "You're literally the sky or something, right? How am I even talking to you right now?" Sung was fully prepared to wake up from a weird dream where he partied with space creatures and was actually drooling on his pillow the whole time, but Astrophel laughed. Sung couldn't have described the unearthly sparkle of the smile that sent a flash of lightning through the neighborhood.

"I'm a piece of the sky- maybe. I wasn't always- that's convoluted. Astrophel." They thumped down onto the ground, purely because they wanted to, and took in the scent of damp grass and cool air and underlying soil. "Astrophel means 'star lover,' as in lover of the stars." 

The stars adorning Astrophel's face rolled off and plinked lightly against the grass, an oddly human air settling into their newly found bones. "It's one of those, 'if you don't stop making that face it'll stick like that forever' kind of things." Astrophel hoped that blades of grass were tangling into his hair while they closed their eyes. "Or maybe 'you are what you eat.'" The stars in the sky seemed to perk up in response to colorful metaphors, or maybe to Astrophel's voice specifically. "I loved the stars so much that I fell into them. I guess I- just had nowhere else to go." They smiled, but Sung felt the painful nostalgia clinging onto those words. 

"And you can just- turn off your star hugging space powers?" Sung was shocked at how gravity seemed to hold an invisible on/off switch within its formulas. He caught a flash of green in Astrophel's eyes next to the glow of starlight he had become accustomed to. "Why would you ever turn them off- no offense." Sung watched the outline of translucent wings flutter away from Astrophel's form. He watched the star bits in the grass twinkle a goodbye song. 

Astrophel looked at Sung with shockingly green, human eyes, only a light glow left in them. "Trust, I think." They spoke as if it were obvious. As if everyone lets go of the stars as a trust building exercise at camp. "I know that the stars will come back to me. And I know that I don't need to use them, they allow me that privilege." Star politics were not Sung's area of study, in fact, nothing really was. He understood the concept, however, and resisted the urge to pick up the specks of twinkling space on the ground and reattach them where he remembered seeing them. 

"But you said you aren't supposed to be here-" Sung remembered the panic in Astrophel’s face the first time that they met. The fear in their eyes was enough to convince Sung that they were forbidden from touching the earth’s surface. 

Astrophel plucked at stray blades of grass and sighed, their eyes looking lost in the sky. “Well not for a long time- not telling people that I’m some celestial sky being.” Sung could have sworn he heard a soft, barely audible “not just to see you” as Astrophel sat up and grew cold, his form gaining back it’s glow and rising from the ground ever so slightly. Sung felt like he had screwed up by mentioning some inevitable doom or punishment as he watched Astrophel grow guarded and close their body language. 

Astrophel extended their legs before pushing themself into an upright position. A flash of brilliant, overarching wings lit up the sky as their eyes returned to their full former glory. Sung watched in awe, but felt his stomach drop at how quickly Astrophel’s demeanor had shifted. “Hey, please-” Sung hadn’t even noticed his hand reaching out again, this time easily grabbing hold of Astrophel’s wrist, gently. “Please don’t stay gone for too long this time.” Their eyes met, but the moment was fleeting. Sung released their hand when a white hot glow sent a shock into his palm, and the tone of a broken apology rested heavy on Astrophel’’s tongue.

\-------

“Okay, okay, I believe you now.” Meouch was rustling through a pile of clean clothes that he’d taken the time to fold but not put away. He settled on a worn out comfy tee and returned his attention to Sung, who was sitting on the couch holding a warm cup of coffee. His tone held less manic excitement than before, and more serious wonder. That made Meouch a lot more inclined to believe his ramblings.

Meouch grabbed his phone and flopped down into the shitty recliner they’d found on the side of the road a few summers ago. Sung sipped at his coffee and grinned at his own breakthrough. “I don’t really blame you for being skeptical, it kind of sounds insane.” He sprawled out on the couch, stomach down and legs dangling behind him in the air. Meouch reminded himself that this man was considered extremely attractive by most of their fanbase. 

“Yeah, it is insane-” Meouch kicked his fit up on the coffee table and watched Sung try to sip his coffee at the new strange angle he had created. “But this time you actually slowed down and explained what the fuck was going on, so I’m going to try not to be an asshole.” Sung nodded and let his mind wander back to that night in the grass. He couldn’t help but wonder if Astrophel had heard what he said before they beamed their way back up into the stratosphere. “Do you think they’re gonna come back?”

Sung looked down at the couch below him and avoided Meouch's eyes, tapping his fingers on the side of the sofa. "I don't...know. But I hope so." Meouch took note of the genuine emotion swimming through Sung's eye, the twitch of his antennae even if it was out of uncertainty. "I just have this feeling that I'll see them again." 

"Yeah-" Meouch nodded and took on a more serious tone than he would normally allow himself to. "It'll happen, dude." Sung took a sip of his coffee and reached for the TV remote, turning on some background noise. He nearly dozed off to mindless television as Meouch allowed the room to fall into silence. 

\--------

Sung was starting to wonder if you could pray to space creatures with slightly celestial intent, but he decided that he would feel pretty stupid if he ended up talking to himself. His brain was still processing that Astrophel was human once, or at least human-like. It was so jarring to see them go from relaxed to on edge in such a short amount of time. It was interesting that they were more fearful as a seemingly powerful being than as a normal person. He didn't doubt that Astrophel would return eventually, but he was afraid that he'd scared them off for at least a good week longer. 

Astrophel's story did make Sung feel a little closer to them, though. The fact that they had once been an admirer of the stars like Sung made him feel a little less… hopeless. He definitely thought that he could make Astrophel a friend. 

He also learned that there was no predictability to Astrophel's visits. It only took a good three days this time for them to crash down onto Sung's lawn with precision, stardust flying past Sung's face as he turned to the distraction that had just rocketed through the sky. "Hey- Astrophel? I mean… I'd hope so, it would be really confusing if someone else randomly -" 

"Yes." They responded, but Sung didn't see them anywhere, only a faint glowing presence that made the grass seem brighter. Sung pushed himself up from the ground and searched for the glow of Astrophel's wings or the stars on his cheeks. Nothing. The light encompassing the yard grew brighter, however, and it became more focused. Sung tried to follow the glow, but before he knew it, a flash of bright white scorched the earth and made him jump. 

He left his eyes closed for a moment and hoped to maintain his vision, but even the extra time didn't stop the need for adjustment. He squinted for a moment and walked toward where the grass smelled burnt. A few stray embers flung across the grass before sizzling out. Sung turned his phone's flashlight on, and in the patch of dried grass was the message,  _ "DON'T MISS ME," _ as if Sung had a choice.

\--------

"What if he's in trouble!" Sung continued to examine the photo on his phone, zooming in and out on his phone and looking for some sort of sign that further explained the message. It could have meant anything! Astrophel could have been dead, in trouble, running away-

"What if he's just sick of you." Meouch admired the precision work that Astrophel had demonstrated while destroying their lawn. "They could be edgy break-up song lyrics." Meouch failed to suppress his own laugh. 

Sung crossed his arms and pointed at the words that were still etched into the grass in front of them. "You aren't taking this seriously"

_ They did say they weren't supposed to be here.  _ Phobos interjected so that only Sung would hear, then quickly signed so that the rest would see.  _ If they really were important to the sky, they may not be able to return again.  _ Only Sung got that one again. He tried to wrap his head around Astrophel's last appearance. 

"I know they sound like a crazy powerful demigod god or some shit, but they- " Sung thought back to not even a week prior, when Astrophel willingly dropped themself to the ground and relinquished whatever power the stars gave them. "They weren't even always that powerful, and the stars give them the power when they want to-" Sung caught himself sounding a little crazy and took a deep breath. "Why would they leave a message if they didn't want me to think about it." 

Meouch snorted and kicked the grass before heading back inside. "Let me know when you figure out star-boy's drunk text." Despite Meouch's departure, Phobos continued looking at the burnt grass. 

_ You'll find out what it means. _

\-------------

He’d find out what it meant. But “when?” was the question. Phobos didn’t really elaborate any further, and Sung got the hint that Astrophel was a personal endeavor, not a band discussion. The stars had always called to Sung, but now they sung to him in quiet tones and opened the door as he walked towards the front of the apartment. His bandmates sort of disappeared in the background as he approached the doorway. He was compelled to sit in the grass and look for constellations. 

He brought a soft blue blanket out to the yard with him, this time the front yard instead of the back. If you asked him, he wouldn’t have been able to say why; call it intuition. It was breezy enough that he was wearing a fall sweater, but warm enough that he was in shorts. The wind blew through his hair and up his sweater sleeves as he spread his arms and looked up at the sky. The antennae on his head perked up and buzzed with electricity. He spoke only in a whisper. “Astrophel.”

The wind picked up as if a storm was about to rage through the city, but Sung stayed seated on his little blue blanket and closed his eye. “Astrophel?” His voice rose above the wind twirling around him, and a lightning bolt struck the grass only a few yards in front of his blanket. His antennae drooped back down, knowing that they couldn’t beat that. He didn’t feel the need to ask if Astrophel was there again. “I’d like to talk to you- I mean, if I’m even allowed to ask that.” Sung directed his line of sight to the sky again, watching closely as a blue ball of energy weaved back and forth through stars, carrying the wind with it. 

Sung’s arms lowered to his sides slowly as he observed the movement, a bright, yellow-tinted light reflecting back onto his face. The blue ball of light brightened until exploding into its own constellation of stars, and Astrophel slowly floated to the ground. Sung didn’t really try to suppress the smile on his face as they emerged from the sky and sat down in front of him. They may have looked like little kids sitting criss-cross for story time, but the innocence of it all struck Sung as something pure. He looked straight into Astrophel’s eyes and reached out to grab his wrist. This time there was no resistance or push back. 

“Talk to me, then.” Astrophel folded their wings behind their back, pulling one knee up so that they could prop their head up on it. Sung nodded and tried not to be amazed at the surprises that Astrophel seemed to always hold. They blinked and their eyes flashed with a bright energy. They seemed less reluctant to look at Sung than the first time they met, for sure. Without a doubt. 

“Why do you keep coming back?” Sung tapped his fingers on his thigh and sighed at his own words. “Not that I don’t enjoy your company!” He clarified, laughing nervously. When Sung tried to look down, Astrophel gently tipped his head back up with just two fingers pressed under his chin. Sung felt his stomach fluttering just a little, but he decided to ignore that. Astrophel was unknowingly very good at expressing how much strength they held in just two fingers. 

Astrophel reclined themself, leaning back onto their palms and allowing Sung to become lost in thought momentarily. “You keep calling out, and I just decided that- I must feel drawn to you for a reason.” This change of pace from Astrophel’s normal scarcity and guilt was confusing, even if it was while Sung had been reaching out for this whole time. A feeling of confusion bubbled under his skin at how far Astrophel slipped from his grasp even when right in front of him. 

Sung became aware that Astrophel was sitting. On the ground. Not hovering above the ground and commanding the air around them. To bring themself down to the same level as Sung seemed like an honor. The stars shone a different kind of bright in the front yard, and Sung had a feeling that someone had seen this time. Someone had been watching from the window. And let him watch, this moment was not exclusive. This moment was not between Astrophel and Sung but between them and the entire universe. 

Astrophel drew their hands back and stared at Sung. They were waiting. It became apparent that they would have waited all night for a response. Their gaze reminded Sung that he was the one who had called out. That despite the power and implied omnipotence flowing through Astrophel’s body, Sung had asked them to come, and they had listened. That didn’t persuade Sung’s vocal chords to begin working, but it was worth a shot. He collected his thoughts one more time and looked up to the sky. 

“When you crash landed the first time- you said you weren’t supposed to be here, but that’s not completely true.” Astrophel could be observed looking embarrassed as they once had the first time they met, but only for a brief moment that Sung neglected to take advantage of. They averted their eyes as well, sipping in the cool blue of the sky and reveling in the twinkle of each star. “I know you think I didn’t hear- but- you said you weren’t supposed to be here to see me. After all that star loving stuff. And then you vanished again.” 

Astrophel held their breath that time, questioning how they’d ever let the words leave their lips. How they had let them become audible in the night. How they kept letting their guard down just because this man seemed trustworthy. Seemed good. They were not one to trust anyone, yet there they were, mere inches from a creature not even of this earth. Though they weren’t sure if they qualified as earthly either. 

“There is a cosmic pull when you step into my space.” Sung sounded almost out of breath now, like he couldn’t comprehend what he was saying but so urgently wanted to convey it. “And I don’t want to overstep, but could you at least get me coffee or something before you make me question my place in the universe?” Sung felt a weight lift off of his chest so fast that it knocked the breath out of him. He had just suggested some romantic inclination towards a powerful being that he didn’t understand. A cautious silence fell over him.

Astrophel casually reached out to the sky in front of him and let a small star roll from the dark blue down his forearm. As it reached the end of it’s journey, it planted itself on Astrophel’s cheeks next to all the other stars they had stolen from the sky. Or admired so much that they had to have them. Or had persuaded out of the sky to a new home. Sung couldn’t stand how easily and naturally Astrophel commanded the sky. “I’ve never had coffee.” Astrophel giggled, as if they hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. 

Sung nodded, trying to process the interaction he was experiencing. “Well there’s a place in town- they make a mean latte, it’ll keep you up all night.” He wasn’t sure if that was the most appealing pitch for coffee, but that’s what Sung like about it. Not that he needed any more energy, just the will to keep his eyes open long enough to see the stars. Did Astrophel even sleep? 

Astrophel seemed to consider what was being said, mulling it over in their mind and asking themself if it was acceptable. Sung could have started sweating under the scrutiny. All he had asked for was a coffee date. With unsure emphasis on the date part. He didn’t even know if Astrophel slept, let alone if they ate or drank coffee. Or if they cared about dates. Sung was pretty much unsure about everything when he looked at the inky black and blue wings perched atop Astrophel’s shoulders in deep thought.

Once they had digested the question and presumably sifted through every possible outcome and danger, they fell to earth in the same way they had before. Their eyes shifted into human ones, their form became a little more understandable and corporeal. Their wings shredded like paper scraps behind them and a bit of the inky blue faded from their skin, though still dark enough to emulate the depths of space. They grabbed Sung’s hand, and laughed at the way they could feel their own skin. “Why not?”

“It’s midnight.” Sung stayed seated and pulled back on Astrophel’s hand, his eyebrows arched in confusion. Time, huh. Astrophel probably lost a bit of that being up in the sky so much. “Coffee shops are open in the morning.” Sung gestured to the dark space around them and the lack of lights anywhere near them aside from the stars. “Pretty much everything. Everywhere is closed right now.” The two noticeably did not release their hands from each other’s grasp. They silently fell back to rest on the blanket with fingers intertwined. 

“I forgot that- it’s not always dark here.” Astrophel laughed, this time nervously, just as they had before. His overwhelming power and knowledge was diminished when he forgot that the earth had a daytime and a nightime. Sung stifled his own laugh and found himself squeezing Astrophel’s hand.

The stars twinkled above them, and for the first time since they had met, Sung was sure he wouldn’t wake up alone. “I guess I’ll just have to reintroduce you to daytime, then.” Astrophel nodded rather than outwardly responding, but sung felt the subtle movement all the same. Their hands only loosened the grip of holding as they dozed off to sleep, palms still resting on each other.

\-------------

The sun was just beginning to rise as Sung sputtered awake and shooed a fly away from his face, shielding his eyes from the light surrounding him. It was early enough that heat wasn’t a big factor, but his eyes quickly attempted to adjust as if someone had just flipped the lights on in his room. He had to have looked funny sleeping in his own front yard- someone had to have walked past and wondered what drunk nightmare resulted in sleeping on your own front lawn. 

Sung was almost scared when his hand touched another body on the blanket next to him before realizing Astrophel must have fallen asleep alongside him. Which answered one question. He had been so startled partially because Astrophel looked so different in the light. The darkness brought out all their powerful features, starlit freckles, and heavenly glow, but the light made them look so human- so ordinary compared to the darkness. Sung only realized he was staring when Astrophel’s face contorted into something uncomfortable before their eyes even opened. In fact, their eyes seemed unable to open. 

“Hello?” Sung tapped Astrophel’s shoulder gently and pulled away when Astrophel went to rub their eyes and scrunch up their face. “You okay?” 

“The sun.” Astrophel sat up awkwardly and refused to uncover their eyes, looking like a tired child refusing to wake up for a moment. “A rare star that I cannot say I am a fan of.” Sung snorted and grabbed Astrophel’s hand to lead them up and into the shade of his apartment, hoping that no one was awake yet to freak the poor dude out. Sung was surprised at the amount of trust Astrophel was putting into him, but that wasn’t saying a lot when you considered that Sung was surprised at pretty much everything that Astrophel did.

Astrophel finally let their eyes open when they stepped inside, though they still squinted at the light. They blinked a few times and seemed to come back alive. Sung hadn’t even noticed Meouch sipping coffee in the kitchen as they entered. “Fun night, huh? Didn’t think I’d miss the walk of shame did’ya?” Sung actually wanted to yell at Meouch, but he instead focused on not reading into the connotation of that statement. 

“We slept in the grass and then woke up- it was a lot of fun.” The sarcasm dripped a little, but Meouch still laughed. He watched Astrophel squint at the room while trying to survey their surroundings. “Do you have any sunglasses?” Astrophel shielded their eyes again, trying a new method. This time they tried to form the bill of a hat to cast a shadow. Meouch grumbled something unintelligible before walking off to his room to retrieve sunglasses for their guest.

“Don’t lose them or do anything weird in them.” Sung rolled his eye and gently brushed Astrophel’s hands out of the way, pushing the sunglasses onto his face and tucking them into place behind their ears. He saw a small shiver jolt through Astrophel at the touch and grinned. 

“Any better?” Astrophel blinking a few more times before nodding. 

“Definitely- sorry it’s- been a long time since I got this much light.” The glasses allowed their eyes to widen and adjust to their surroundings. Sung saw a split second of panic cut through Astrophel’s pupils, but he steadied them with a gentle hand on the shoulder. Sung didn’t want to call them cute- but they were cute. Sung was finally the confident one in this realm of the world. Outside of the darkness of space, Astrophel found themself needing to adjust again. 

Sung found himself wondering how old Astrophel really was if he hadn’t remembered what the Sun on earth felt like or looked like. He also, however, remembered his eyes burning any time Meouch flicked on the light in his room to forcefully wake him up, so he didn’t want to assume. “You ready for coffee, or do you need a minute?” 

Astrophel shrugged and looked back over at Meouch, who was still snickering to himself. “I’m fine, but I think I want to talk to your friend first, he seems a little skeptical.” Sung sighed and watched Astrophel meander their way to the breakfast bar at the entrance of the kitchen, pulling out a seat and staring Meouch straight in the eyes as he set his coffee down in front of himself. “So, Meouch?”

“Commander Meouch.” Meouch leaned on the counter behind him and looked kind of cocky doing it. Sung pulled up the barstool next to Astrophel and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah- and I’m Doctor Sung, get on with it.” Meouch and Sung locked eyes and exchanged immature gestures, Sung sticking his tongue out and Meouch flipping a kind middle finger. Astrophel noted the playful tone to all of this and nodded. 

Meouch cleared his throat and let out a breath. “I’m not skeptical of you, I was just skeptical of Sung thinking he was best friends with a galactical being. But you two seem pretty close, and I don’t think he could convince you to bullshit that, so bravo.” Though Meouch’s words seemed genuine, Astrophel was getting the sense that he was the kind of guy who deadpanned or sarcastically tinged most statements. It suited him, though. 

“Do you see us as best friends, Sung?” Astrophel grinned and took in the strong aroma of brewing coffee. “That’s sweet of you.” 

Sung couldn’t tell if he was being belittled or if Astrophel truly valued this categorization, but he did decide he had had enough Meouch for the morning and spinned himself around to hop off of the barstool. “I don’t know what we are, but I’m not talking about it with him in the room.” Sung didn’t want to admit that friend stung when he looked at Astrophel- that something about it didn’t quite sit right. That there was something deeper in his soul than that. 

Astrophel gently hopped from his seat as well and followed Sung towards the door, hoping that he hadn’t upset anyone. They were, however, holding onto the fact that Sung had spoken to his roommates about their meetings under the stars. 

\---------

Sure, a few people gave weird looks when Astrophel walked in with sunglasses on, but they didn’t seem to notice the attention regardless. They were too caught up with the smells of coffee and the feeling of the sun beaming through the big windows and onto their skin. Astrophel had grown so used to the night sky that they had to marvel at the daytime atmosphere- even if it took some adjusting. It was much more pleasant now that they could open their eyes. 

Sung was busy admiring the way Astrophel looked out of their element- studying their skin tone and how the sun reflected off their freckles. The stardust and glowy bits all over Astrophel’s body had a little more trouble standing out with the addition of the sun, but the warm brown of their skin really glowed something magical. Sung was a little spaced out when they made their way up to the counter, but he managed to order them both a vanilla latte and find them a cozy two person table to share. 

The awkward first date energy was somehow off the charts even though they had sat in the grass and looked at the stars quite a few times now. The dark shielded them, though, allowed them to pretend that their meetings were by chance or in some way magical. Sitting in broad daylight at a coffee shop didn’t leave as much room for the imagination to fill in. Astrophel was experiencing beauty without moonlight, and they couldn’t decide if they preferred Sung in a cool or warm glow. 

“Two regular hot vanilla lattes!”

Coffee. They were there for coffee. Not wandering thoughts and wondering if they were there for something else. 

Sung, being the gentleman he was, ran to grab the coffees and scampered back to their table. He didn’t want to get away from Astrophel, but stepping away for just that short 15 seconds let him take a deeper breath. He presented Astrophel with a coffee and slid back into his seat. “Wait!” 

Astrophel was about an inch away from burning the shit out of their mouth before Sung turned just about everyone's head in the cafe. “Wait a minute to drink that or you’re going to burn the shit out of your mouth.” Astrophel put their cup back on the table and avoided burning the shit out of their mouth. Everyone else in the cafe slowly turned back to their original positions while Sung and Astrophel giggled to themselves. Sung broke the silence that they had laid out with a legitimate question. “So do you eat- or like do you have to eat? Or does being all-” Sung gestured to Astrophel and seemed at a loss for words. “...celestial and shit… kinda cancel the human being's needs out?” 

Astrophel attempted again to take a sip of coffee and retreated when the hot steam got too close to their tongue. The level of heat in their coffee seemed excessive, but they shut their mouth about it. Maybe next time they’d try iced coffee. They were a little screwed if they were already thinking about a next time. “I guess I don’t... _ have to _ but I’ve never tried not to. Food is pretty good.” Astrophel finally managed a sip of their latte and closed their eyes, savoring the taste. “This is pretty good, too. I don’t think I would want to give up food.” 

Sung paused and nodded, adding that information to his hidden book of knowledge. “I’m just not understanding, you said you weren’t supposed to be here- so when do you eat? Where do you live? Do you have space food?” Sung took a sip of his coffee too, leaving his mouth open while almost burning his tongue. He sipped the drink lightly in small bursts so it wouldn’t scorch down his throat. 

Astrophel looked down at their hands and drank more of their coffee without any worry about the heat within it. Their eyes were beginning to glow even under the sunglasses. “I’m here now, I think that’s all that matters.” A stoic tone worked its way into Astrophel’s previously welcoming voice, reminding Sung that they were not a human, but something he didn’t yet understand. Someone who spooked easily. He did, however, assume that Astrophel couldn’t go full alien being of the cosmos on him in a coffee shop, so he pressed forward. 

“I’m just worried, that’s all!” Sung searched for a way to put his thoughts more delicately, to make it sound like he wasn’t prying into Astrophel’s mysterious past or present. His curiosity wasn’t ever sated, and that was a flaw, but he kept on going anyway. “You talk about eating like it’s a normal everyday thing, but you aren’t supposed to be here, and all I know is that you float with the stars and look down on earth like some omnipresent space God.” Sung laughed to himself and realized how dumb he sounded, especially if anyone else was listening in. Astrophel still wasn’t responding, but Sung was too caught up to stop now, sending his own train out of control and headed towards the end of a track. “Do you have a home?” 

Sung felt the world around him freeze, ice cold, and Astrophel’s eyes beamed blue through the tinted glasses. The stars adorning Astrophel’s cheeks briefly flashed as if notifying their defense mechanisms of danger, and their inky black wings spread out behind them on reflex. Sung couldn’t understand the complexity of the shapes he was looking at or the translucent membrane of their wings that seemed to slide between planes of existence and dimensions. Before he could offer an apology or a do-over, a bolt of lightning struck the table and Astrophel disappeared. In that same moment the lighting returned to normal and Astrophel’s latte knocked itself onto the floor, leaving Sung alone at the table as if nothing had happened. 

“Astrophel?” Sung knew they had disappeared, but he still carried a regretful confusion. 

“Let me help you clean that up, sir! We’ll get you a new coffee right away!”

\-------

Sung still hadn’t figured out if anyone else saw Astrophel leave- or disappear- but he assumed they hadn’t due to the lack of screaming and confusion. So many new questions fluttered in his mind about Astrophel, and he wished they didn’t after seeing where more questions got him. How did they stage a whole vanishing act? Did they still have their star powers during the day? How did they show their wings and other less than normal characteristics to Sung without showing anyone else? Did Sung look like a freak ordering 2 lattes for himself and Astrophel was just a figment of his imagination- no. Meouch saw them. But it was still a thought. 

As he walked through the cafe doors without either of his 2 coffees in hand, he looked around as if Astrophel would be waiting outside, perhaps sitting on a cloud and waiting to ascend back into the sky and kiss the stars. They weren’t, obviously. And Sung couldn’t stop himself from wading through confusion on his walk back to the apartment. He spoke Astrophel’s name softly a few times, but in an almost aimless way. He didn’t expect an explanation or a surprise appearance. When he walked back in the door without his companion, Meouch raised an eyebrow and Sung only shrugged. 

He was kind of used to Astrophel being so flighty. They would come back again when they wanted to. 

\-----

It was on rare occasion at that point that Sung actually slept in his bed, but he didn’t feel the need to go out into the yard and lay in the grass. He had had enough brainpower taken from him today trying to figure out what Astrophel was all about, and they almost never came back two days in a row. His back thanked him for a real fucking rest, feeling like it should have audibly creaked when he hit the mattress. The sheer coziness levels were so unfamiliar that he was out like a light within 5 minutes of laying down. 

His body really needed a rest, more than he could have predicted. He had no time or urge to grapple with sleep before sinking into his pillows and instinctively curling up into his blanket. Pure sleep seeped in through his veins and dragged him under with no concept of time. He didn’t stay alert enough to dream vividly or feel rested, just sank into the blackness. There was no mystical dreamscape or photo-realistic image, just a dark plane of space that seemed to extend on forever until a sharp light flashed in the distance. 

It was nearly too small to notice, like a tiny star piercing the sky. Sung tried to reach an arm out towards it, but he couldn’t see anything but that dot, glowing bright and slowly approaching. The star did not cast light, and the rest of the space was enveloped in a kind of darkness deep enough to cause hallucinations. Sung was edging on a feeling of terror when he couldn’t tell if he had woken up or entered a dream, and he searched for a semblance of reality in what he hoped was his room. 

He wouldn’t have been able to describe what he was seeing, but the feeling of cool air seeping into his space and curling around his body like a blanket rendered him speechless. He was sure that he was awake now, and he thought he could see the dark outline of his window. He must have left it open and the cold breeze woke him up. He stood up and let out a breath when his feet for sure touched carpet, making his way over to the window. 

The bright little light was still in the sky, and he couldn’t wrap his head around why the rest of the sky was so dark. He blinked and it was closer. He blinked and a glowing arm was reaching out from the distance. He forced his eyes open and saw a concentrated beam of light breeze by like a flash of headlights on the highway. The wind whipped in though the window, which had opened, and when Sung could get his eyes open again, there was an iridescent arm reaching in, followed by a gentle, almost sorrowful expression on Astrophel’s face. 

Just when Sung thought he figured something out, Astrophel swooped in with some even more grandiose form and decided not to take his normal week off from contact. Starlight was so concentrated on their skin that they gave light to the room, showing the confusing empty canvas of a night behind them. Sung felt the cool breeze following Astrophel like a veil behind them, and despite backing up and into his bed, he motioned for Astrophel to enter the room. As their feet made contact with the ground, specks of light flung off of them and retreated out the window that they had come. 

The sky slowly began to brighten up, and Sung realized that stars were being removed from Astrophel and dispersing into the previously empty space. Sung wanted to ask what the fuck just happened, but he remembered where that had gotten him last time. He leaned back onto his bed to reach for the lamp on his end table and took a moment of silence to study Astrophel. 

They smiled weakly, and the window shut behind them without them moving a muscle. The sky looked as if it had never changed behind them, and the cool glow of space had dissipated measurably. “I didn’t mean to- or I at least shouldn’t have disappeared like that earlier.” They still stood awkwardly in the middle of Sung’s bedroom, almost as if asking for permission to precede. Without Sung asking, Astrophel sighed and looked right through him with big, glowing eyes. “Empty space has been my home for so long, but I don’t think that I can stay there forever.” 

Astrophel swallowed audibly, but maintained eye contact. “I love the stars, but they will not stop guiding me to you, and I cannot ignore that.” A few specks of stardust twinkled on their cheek, and their wings extended behind them before folding in behind their back. “It might take me some time to get used to, but I think that I belong here, Sung.” The blue glow of their eyes flashed even brighter until they closed their eyes and sank down to the floor. Sung could see the gravity making its way back into their steps. The next time that Astrophel opened their eyes, they were no longer glowing, but overwhelmingly human in nature.

The stars still twinkled on their cheeks, but settled down to look almost like normal freckles. Sung wanted to question Astrophel, tell them they were a little insane and confusing, but he spotted true regret and realization in Astrophel’s eyes. He noted the sense of belonging that Astrophel strived for, even in their confusion and sadness. Instead of skillfully articulating this, Sung managed, “Earth is pretty neat, I understand.” 

He lost his breath to the wind when Astrophel pulled him into a hug and squeezed him tight, catching him off guard. His arms slowly returned the gesture and he let out a muffled laugh into the glow of Astrophel’s shoulder. It was really something to see Astrophel go from so untouchable to so concrete. “I meant here with you, I think, but Earth is cool I guess.” Astrophel laughed, too, leaning into the hug and releasing only when they felt it had gone on too long to be normal. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Sung nodded and couldn’t believe himself, but acknowledged that Astrophel’s presence was a pleasant peace that washed over him endlessly. He climbed back into bed and flipped the covers open, looking over again to check that the window was shut. “I don’t know if you have to sleep- but it’s gotta be like 4am so.” Sung slid under his covers and patted the bed next to him as an invitation. “First “living on Earth again” lesson is sleeping at a normal time.” Astrophel carefully took their place next to Sung and cozied up under the sheets, smiling as Sung turned the light out. 

Sung didn’t know if what he was doing was a little bit batshit crazy, but he didn’t question his response any more than he had to. He’d seen and experienced much weirder shit and wasn’t about to leave his weird sky soulmate out in the dark. “Goodnight.” His voice came out warm, almost satisfied. 

“Goodnight- but Sung?” The starlight shone just right through the window to highlight Astrophel’s face as they settled into bed and made themself at home. 

“Yeah?” Sung braced himself to hold back weird questions or any other possible strange shit that he could let out of his mouth that would scare them away. For the first time since Astrophel appeared in his room, he felt anxiety tugging at his brain and hoping he had a good response to whatever philosophical journey or exploration Astrophel most likely had to offer. 

“Thank you.” Astrophel closed their eyes and snuggled into the extra pillow the Sung had given them, looking strangely at home in normal bed sheets and without a backlit sky in the backyard. Sung only briefly wondered if Astrophel had any other clothes or belongings or if they had to shower or brush their teeth or do any basic earthly things- but he was tired enough that his brain eventually relented when Astrophel continued. “Thank you for talking to me and loving the stars for me and getting me to come down here for you.” 

The darkness shielded their expression slightly, but Sung could hear the emotion- the importance. “Thank you for looking at the stars and looking at me and inviting me in your house and sleeping in your backyard to talk to me.” Sung was about to interject, but Astrophel kept going. “Thank you for taking me to get coffee and letting me meet your friends and calling out to me when I tried not to listen.” Another breath. “Thank you for-”

Sung shushed them and pressed a gentle, barely there kiss to their cheek before turning back over into his blanket and getting ready to drift back off to sleep on his back. “Thanks for listening, Star.” Sung sighed and felt the softness of Astrophel’s cheek lingering on his lips. Star. That was a good one. As opposed to “As” or “Strop” or “Phel”. Sung giggled to himself. “We can have the earth-shattering meaningful talk tomorrow again if you want, okay?” 

Astrophel didn’t speak, but Sung felt them nod from the other side of the bed, hearing their head slide against the pillow. They reached an arm out and touched the tips of their fingers to Sung’s forehead. Sung would have laughed, but the motion felt too serious for him to react that way. Instead he focused on the gentle pads of Astrophel’s fingers dragging gently across his head. They brushed through his hair and left a trail of unnamable energy where they touched. 

Sung took a calm, deep breath as Astrophel’s fingers traveled through his hair, and pictured bits of stardust transferring onto his skin from Astrophel’s. The glow of the moon continued to light their movements. Sung shivered as everything fell perfectly into place, Astrophel stopping mid brush to leave his fingers tangled in Sung’s hair. “Sleep well. Dream of the stars.” 

Sung wouldn’t have been able to tell you if those thoughts were spoken or transmitted to his brain magically, wordlessly. 

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you THINK what did you LIKE what did you HATE I want da juicy stuff


End file.
